Consequences of 2008

Written By: Brandon Parrish 

October 28, 2008 was a glorious day. It was the day I turned 16. (Every October 28^th is glorious by the way) Nonetheless, on that day, I saw a “skinny guy with a funny name” energize and educate a crowd of individuals, from every demographic you can think of, about his platform of hope and change. From seniors to teenagers, from blue collar workers to white collar workers, thousands stood in line for hours to hear Senator Barack Obama speak. It was freezing and raining, but there we were, catching colds and hypothermia just to see and hear him speak. That election was electric. From sea to shining sea, the emotion was overwhelming and everyone felt it. The first African American president was elected. We all love President Obama. With accomplishments such as Obamacare, Cuba, Iran, Dodd Frank, the automotive industry, the unemployment rate and many more, his resume is impressive; however, his election and presidency had some consequences - primarily for the general electorate and for African Americans.

President Obama is one of the greatest politicians this country has ever seen. The foundation of his appeal is his public speaking. During his keynote address in 2004, I saw the ghosts of Dr. King and President Kennedy. His genuine demeanor, authentic swagger, and unifying rhetoric electrified an electorate that had been waiting for a politician of his caliber. Although this electorate only appears every four years, they are loud and displeased with the status quo. I do not mean to say progress has not been made with the Obama administration, but we do see a lot of the same politics as usual. The working poor are being ignored, Wall Street is swimming in record profits, and the police are gunning down our citizens.

 Now, the same electorate that was awakened during the 2008 election cycle is wide-awake in 2016. It is now Senator Bernie Sanders who is speaking their language. It’s no secret President Obama is pulling for Hillary Clinton, but those two represent the politics of the last 8-24 years:  the establishment. Obama was a card-carrying member of the establishment in 2008 –Harry Reid told him to run! With Obama and the Democrat’s laser point focus on the middle class, it seems they have forgotten about the poor. They are creating jobs but the income gap is astronomical. There are families in New York City pulling in $18,000 a year! They talk about hi-tech jobs and trade, but do they expect the 68-year-old man who lost his retirement to the great recession and his job to trade deals to hop on social security, Medicare, and food stamps to live the rest of life with dignity?

The first African American president was elected, and while I commend the president for leading the discussion on prison reform, I am disappointed with his political calculation in regard to police brutality. The argument is that Obama cannot be just the President of Black America – he must be the President of all Americans. This is true, but aren’t African Americans still American? On one hand, we demonize anyone who proclaims all lives matter. On the other, our president said all lives matter in his 2015 state of the union and his approval ratings soared. He doesn’t have to tell the truth about police brutality? Why is the standard lower for him? Is it because he’s black? Well, that just makes him another out-of-touch black politician – the best one though. It is this type of calculation that people are sick of. Someone needs to tell Hillary that wrapping herself in Obama isn’t going to sway this new electorate. And while you’re at it, you can tell the CBC that black people don’t care who they endorse.

Though President Obama is part of the problem, the spirit of his campaign lives. The new electorate that he expelled from the shadows is present and accounted for. Voters just want to Hillary Clinton to be herself. She is smart and experienced, but this new electorate rewards honesty, authenticity, and courage of conviction. The Clintonian politics of the 90’s are not going to work anymore. It’s a new day. The revolution is coming.

~ Consigliere